Seasonal incidence and population fluctuation of fruit flies in mango and guava.
Sarada G., Maheswari T. U., Purushotham K.
Author Affiliation: Department of Entomology, S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati - 517 502, India.
Indian Journal of Entomology 63 : 272-276
Abstract : Experiments on the seasonal abundance and population dynamics of fruit flies (Bactrocera spp.) were conducted in orchards located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India from September 1999 to March 2000 (guava), and from February to July 2000 (mango). The peak fly population in the mango orchard was observed from May to July, coinciding with the fruit maturity period. The lowest population was recorded in February (34 flies), while the highest population was observed in July 2000 (235 flies). The fly population was positively correlated with minimum temperature and rainfall, and negatively correlated with the relative humidity. In the guava orchard, the highest (223.5 flies) and lowest (11.0 flies) populations were recorded during November 1999 and March 2000, respectively. The fly population in the guava orchard was positively correlated with the relative humidity and rainfall, while it was negatively correlated with the maximum temperature.